Effective implementation and use of wireless communication systems, such as code division multiple access (CDMA) Personal Communications Service (PCS) systems based on the IS-95 standard, requires accurate measurement of forward and reverse link performance. A CDMA PCS system is typically designed by computing cell coverage based on mobile transmit power constraints, and by ensuring that the forward (i.e., base-to-mobile) link renders the mobile receivers substantially interference limited within the cell. In such systems, it may be desirable to determine the effect of a particular change in system configuration on the forward and reverse links. For example, in a system in which the base stations are set to 1.2 Watts of pilot power (i.e., they utilize 15% of the available power of an amplifier with 8 Watts of long term average power) for signal transmission, a question may arise as to whether or not system performance and/or capacity can be improved by increasing the size of the amplifiers to provide 16 Watts of long term average power. Other questions which may arise include whether or not the cell size could be increased in a given system while still providing desired performance and capacity levels.
Unfortunately, conventional link measurement techniques are unable to simulate these and other changes in system configuration. Such techniques are, for example, unable to modify a test mobile station in a manner which has substantially the same effect on performance and capacity as an actual system-wide increase in base station amplifier power or an actual increase in system cell size. As a result, conventional techniques make it very difficult if not impossible to determine accurately and efficiently whether or not a particular change in system configuration will produce the desired performance and capacity results. Furthermore, these techniques fail to take into account the dynamic nature of a CDMA system, and the fact that the issue of link balance in a CDMA system can be position dependent. The conventional techniques therefore do not provide a sufficiently accurate indication of link balance between forward and reverse links.
As is apparent from the above, a need exists for improved techniques for measuring forward and reverse link performance in a wireless communication system, such that an accurate indication of link balance can be obtained without the need for costly and time-consuming system reconfiguration.